Another Privilege Checklist: The Privilege of Not Being Pregnant, and Not Being a Mother

As I've written before, there's no clear line dividing mothers from non-mothers, since our society treats pretty much every woman as a potential mother, and then uses that status to oppress her. Thus the list below is a work in progress, only designed to draw attention to some of the ways motherhood hinders women's lives--not an exhaustive list, and not at all intended as a clear line of demarcation between mothers and non-mothers.

Note that I have deliberately excluded privileges that can all be written off as the inevitable result of parenting. For example, childless people have the privilege of leaving their homes at a moment's notice, or of travelling without having to find childcare. These are absolutely privileges that are taken for granted, but I think most childless people would be quick to insist that parenthood is a choice (even though it isn't always), and that these struggles are inevitable results of parenthood (even though they don't necessarily have to be).

Feel free to comment with additional privileges, and remember this blog's only commenting rule: if you intend to lecture pregnant women and mothers about what they don't understand, please preface your comments with "In my experience as a pregnant woman...:

Not being pregnant is indeed a privilege in a society that renders birth control and abortion inaccessible, where 1 in 4 women has been raped, and where sex education is either inaccurate or nonexistent. So remember this next time you tell yourself, "well, she had a choice." Actually, she might not have.


The Childless Privilege Checklist:

• I have the privilege to make medical decisions about my own body, as long as I am psychologically competent. I do not generally have to worry about my genitals being cut against my will, or without my knowledge. 
• I can go wherever I want that it is otherwise legal to be. I do not have to worry about being shamed, forcibly removed, or arrested solely for feeding my child. 
• If I face a medical issue, I can be reasonably certain that my care providers will try to treat it, not blame it on my status as a person who has given birth. 
• If I break the law, I will only be penalized for breaking the law, unlike mothers, who are penalized for child endangerment even if their choices cannot be reasonably construed to have endangered their children. 
• I can take whatever medications I want or eat whatever food I want without being prosecuted for fetal endangerment. 
• I can reasonably expect that strangers will not attempt to touch private areas of my body and that, if they do, I can report them to law enforcement and expect sympathy from friends. I do not have to guard my stomach from strangers who will do anything in their power to grab it. 
• I do not have to consistently field questions about whether my home life will interfere with my ability to do my job.
• If I take time off of work because of a medical condition, it is unlikely that this medical condition will be used as a reason that I am permanently unfit to work. 
• I can generally expect that my relationships will not be used as evidence that I am unfit to participate in an event or to continue working, unlike mothers, who often hear that motherhood clouds their judgment. 
• I can reasonably expect that strangers will not comment on my food or health choices (Note: this only applies to people who fall within the narrow range of "acceptable" BMI; larger-bodied people are pretty accustomed to strangers commenting on their food choices, though probably not as frequently as pregnant women hear these comments). 
• I have the privilege of making unwise, or even illegal, decisions without being prosecuted for or accused of child abuse.